Ruthless by Gena Showalter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, HQN, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Ruthless in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
Well, I have done it again. They say all things come in threes. And this little hiccup of mine has certainly repeated itself three times.
You wonder what this might be? I shall no longer keep you in suspense. I signed up to read the sequel of a story before I had a chance to read the first book.
Hence, my clueless and agitated state of mind.
So, once again, I cannot really comment on the characters that much. Or anything other than the quality of writing, because I didn’t do my research properly.
The Details
From what I could gather, I have come to the conclusion that this one requires the reader to remember the first book very well. Because it sort of jumps right into the story. I think.
I found the writing style very clumsy. I assume it was meant to come across as mysterious and a little lyrical. Unfortunately, it felt anything but.
I mean, I’m not one to use quotes in my written reviews, but take a look at this:
“Momma screamed in silent agony.”
I’m confused. Is the agony silent, because it’s from an unknown source? Or does she mean she screams silently while being in agony.
My literary studies training has my fingers itching to write a 10-page essay on what this could or should mean and how it accomplished or failed to do so. I really feel there is more to it, but who knows. Maybe the author just wanted to sound extra dramatic and descriptive.
Other than that, I was completely lost with this story. I kept skipping ahead and going back trying to find answers to the questions that would have been answered, if I had read the first book.
The Verdict
Overall, please take note: It is always better the read the first book in any series and to do research properly. Otherwise, any reader will feel as clueless as me.
About the Author
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over seventy books, including the acclaimed Lords of the Underworld series, the Gods of War series, the White Rabbit Chronicles, and the Forest of Good and Evil series. She writes sizzling paranormal romance, heartwarming contemporary romance, and unputdownable young adult novels, and lives in Oklahoma City with her family and menagerie of dogs.
